Ukraine has become the second export customer of Turkish ADA class corvettes, following on from Pakistan. On 14 December 2020, the Turkish and Ukrainian delegations led by the President of the Defence Industry (SSB), Professor Ismail Demir, signed a direct military procurement agreement in Ukraine. Originally, the number of corvettes to be built was not disclosed, but it has now become known that the order is for two vessels.
Considering the capabilities of the Ukrainian defence industry, the corvettes will most likely be equipped with a different propulsion system including a Ukrainian gas turbine, and will have weapon systems and sensor technologies adapted to the requirements of the Ukrainian Navy. Recently, Ukrainian officials have stated that the corvettes have been under construction since May this year and are expected to be delivered by the end of 2023 “fitted for, but not with”, to be completed in Ukraine. Turkish authorities have stated that the contract has a value in excess of US$236 million.
The Turkish Navy’s ADA class corvette design is different from the Pakistani and Ukrainian vessels of the same class. The Turkish variants are 99.56 metres in length with a displacement of 2400 tonnes while the Pakistani PN-MILGEM ADA class corvettes under construction have a displacement of 2950 tonnes with a length of 110 metres and are equipped with a VLS.
It is also worth mentioning that the Turkish SSB procurement organisation is the design authority for ADA class surface combatants. As a result, the Turkish Ministry of Defence selects and decides on the Turkish companies to cooperate in the construction. In the Ukrainian programme, the state-owned company STM is involved. According to the SSB, talks are underway with five other countries for possible exports of the ADA class design.
General characteristics (Turkish specification):
Lenght: 99.56 m
Beam: 14.40 m
Draft: 3.90 m
Displacement: 2400 tonnes
Speed: max. 30 knots
Korhan Özkilinc
